Have you heard of Stone Mountain? We’re quite proud of it here in the South. If you ever get a chance to come to Atlanta, you should add a visit here to your agenda. I hadn’t been in years, but Mom and I got the great idea that it would be fun to take the kids there for a day-trip, and end our summer with a picnic while watching the laser show.

Well, God had other plans for our day.

First of all, we did have a wonderful time at the park. And this place is a true bargain. For around $20 each, we enjoyed guided tours by riverboat, cable car, and train. There’s an extraordinary new treehouse exhibit that has two 3-story treehouses, and it’s a boys against girls game that requires kids to think and work together. My oldest wanted to spend all day there because he figured out how to get points, and the boys were way ahead.

We also watched a couple of shows — the 7th Generation Flying Wallendas about gave me a heart attack. Watching two people hang upside down on 50-foot poles, with no safety net, was too much for me. And when “The Amazing Henry, Master of the Sky” missed a step while jump-roping on the wheel of death, I thought I would throw up from fear. I don’t know why in the world people do things like that — I had to look up the Wallendas to figure it out. (It’s in their genes, I guess.)

We had a much better time watching the Schmacko Dog Show, where we saw “Flying Fiesta,” the fastest frisbee dog in the world. Now we’re all full of ideas of tricks to teach our poor unsuspecting dog, Jasper. (Good thing they gave us a free sample of Schmacko Dog Treats.)

But the highlight of our day, the grand finale, was the build-up of the laser show. It’s held every night at 9:30 p.m., and I couldn’t wait to see my kids’ faces as we listened to Dixie and watched Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis come to life and gallop across the mountain by laser.

We were all prepared, picnic basket and blanket spread on the lawn, along with hundreds of other people when … BOOM. Thunder.

“Mom, do you think it’s going to rain?”

“Nah. I think it will just blow over.” CRACK! A lightning bolt lit up the sky over the mountain followed by shrieks from the crowd.

We still thought we’d sit it out. Only one more hour until the show! But then we felt a raindrop. And another. Followed by BOOM! CRACK! More shrieks. And the masses began running toward cover, as the sky fell out.

So, here we were — two adults and four kids on a granite mountain. In a rainstorm. Soon, the power went out. The music stopped — and we were all crammed in under the overhang of the Skylift. Then the most amazing thing happened.

We all stood there in awe as we watched God’s Laser Show. Every time lightning hit the mountain, you could see giant rivers of rainwater streaking down the granite. People were ooahing and aahing and taking pictures. Everyone was happy. A crippled man next to us leaned on his two canes and laughed. An elderly white man pushed an elderly black man in a wheelchair through the crowd — both smiling. Kids stomped in puddles. None of us could go anywhere, with no power to see, and the torrents of rain hitting the earth — but we all had a great time.

Without power, the laser show was out of the question, but the park staff gave us the fireworks show anyway — to the cheers of everyone. When it was time to go, Mom reached in her pocket — and oh no! Her cell phone was gone. We searched everywhere, then realized it must have slipped out during our mad dash up the hill. But a few seconds later, my cell phone rang, and a voice said, “Hey, my name is Scott, and I’m here at Stone Mountain, and I’ve found this phone …” Can you believe it? He and Mom walked toward each other, strangers in a crowd. “I’m wearing pink,” she said. “I’m tall and talking on a phone,” he said. And they found each other. Amazing.

All that to say, it was an exciting end to our summer. A laser show we’ll never forget.